April 8, 2011

Hardy's injury and possibly adding a reliever

The Orioles may have dodged another injury bullet, this time involving shortstop J.J. Hardy.

We’ll know more this afternoon.

It’s also possible they make a roster move today to get another pitcher in the bullpen after Josh Rupe and Jeremy Accardo were called on to pitch in long relief Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, and with the slugging Texas Rangers coming to town today.

“We’re going to examine whether or not we’re going to need a pitcher for [Friday] because Rupe and Accardo both are down for [Friday],” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

Just when it seems they get one player back, another gets scratched. This time it’s not all about pitching, either (although Jeremy Guthrie is still questionable for his start Sunday after dealing with pneumonia this week).

On Thursday, roughly an hour before game time, Luke Scott (right groin) gave Showalter the thumbs-up that he would be able to return to the lineup.

About 50 minutes later, Showalter learned that shortstop J.J. Hardy felt some tightness in his left side, near the ribcage. Hardy said he really felt it when he swung hard. But he still told the club’s athletic trainers. And they told Showalter.

“By the time I got all this information, it was 6:50 p.m.,” Showalter said. “I went out and had a conversation with [Hardy] on the field. With the cold weather, I didn’t feel like it was worth the risk, so [I] made the switch to [Cesar Izturis].

Hardy feels it’s a day-to-day injury and insists he could have played Thursday. He’ll be re-evaluated today.

“I was going to play through it, playing catch, doing everything, getting ready for the game. I wanted to put a little bit of Icy Hot on it just to keep it warm,” Hardy said. “At that point, it got back to Buck that it was tight, it was sore, and he came out and talked to me when I was playing catch getting ready for the game. He didn't like it, thought it was better to be safe than sorry. I think it was the right decision.”

The Orioles have Izturis and Robert Andino to play shortstop if Hardy’s injury is serious. Hardy had three hits and four runs in his first 14 at-bats this season.

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About the bloggers

A Baltimore native, Dan Connolly has been covering sports for 14 years, and baseball and the Orioles for 10 seasons, including the past six with The Sun. His first year covering baseball on a daily basis was Cal Ripken Jr.'s final season as a player. It's believed that is just a coincidence.

Steve Gould is an assistant sports editor for The Sun, overseeing Orioles coverage. The Columbia native joined The Sun as a sports copy editor in 2006 after graduating from the University of Maryland.

Peter Schmuck has been covering baseball for a lot longer than Steve Gould has been on this earth. He is now a general sports columnist, but has been a beat writer covering three major league teams (the Dodgers, Angels and Orioles) and also spent a decade as the Sun's national baseball writer. If you want more of his insight on the Orioles and other sports issues, check out his personal blog -- The Schmuck Stops Here.